Jim, who passed away in 2017, was a longtime editor and journalist, as well as CTA’s Digital Answer Man touring the country for more than two decades explaining and demonstrating the latest in electronics on TV and radio. As his wife Kate eloquently said in accepting his HOF award, “Jim loved all the ‘stuff’ he introduced in his travels. He loved to explain the how and why.”

It was probably his training as a journalist. Or as Kate put it, “He always said he was a writer, the who, what, when, where and how were his touchstones.” And she added, “The ‘who’ was the most important. Jim loved meeting and ‘collecting’ people. He talked with everyone... and remembered almost everyone.” And, as Stewart Wolpin, who wrote Jim’s bio in the November/December 2019 issue of i3, mentioned he mentored plenty of “young technology writers and reporters.”

Ironically, Jim became best friends with the founder of CES Jack Wayman, who also traveled the country as a CTA spokesperson late in his career. As Jim put it during a CTA memorial service for his old friend in November 2014, “I got the ‘fever’ of consumer electronics, as Jack called it, after my first interview with him when I joined Dealerscope in 1978. After the call I said to myself, ‘This is an exciting and interesting business.’”

He freelanced annually for TWICE writing his “Washington Watch” column in its CES issue each January. He discussed issues the industry faced in the prior year, and what to expect in D.C. in the next 12 months. The columns were always clear and crisp. As editor, I hardly had to touch his copy.

In his remarks about Wayman, Jim said he was going to miss talking “history, sports or industry news” along with the “jokes and banter on the phone” with his friend. Those of us who knew Jim miss that about him every day.

Henry Chiarelli is one of those rare people in the CT business who has been a top executive in retail, manufacturing and distribution. And he shared his expertise, volunteering on more industry boards, committees and working groups than just about anyone. At one CES a couple of years ago I witnessed a graphic illustration of Henry’s work. He was about to go to an industry dinner with his CES badge on. On the bottom of it there had to be a half-dozen ribbons of CTA groups or boards he was involved with that year.

All this from a guy who as a 16-year-old sought refuge from a drenching rainstorm in his hometown RadioShack in Braintree, MA and became a stock clerk for the Christmas season, according to Wolpin’s bio of Henry in the recent issue of i3.

The rest is history. That stock clerk job began a three-decade career with RadioShack (which included senior management posts with parent company Tandy at its Incredible Universe and Computer City chains); CompUSA; DBL Distributing which was bought by Ingram Micro; and Gibson Brands. I bumped into him over the years in China, Paris, Italy, Washington, Vegas and who remembers where else, sharing his passion for the industry with all who wanted to learn.

In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech Henry recalled how he was a late invitee to a CTA industry dinner in Washington D.C. during the 1990s and was placed at the same table with Gary Shapiro as well as future Hall of Famers and longtime CTA board members such as Jerry Kalov, Bob Borchardt, John Shalam, Peter Lesser and others. “We bonded. They reached out to me on a regular basis, so I’d be the best I could be. They were my mentors.”

Henry added, “I emulated their behavior. I went out of my way to help everyone I can and to make them the best they can be.” I can attest to that in witnessing his work, which is why he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I began covering mainstream audio/video electronics back in 1985 when I joined Home Furnishings Daily (HFD), a weekly tabloid news publication. One of the first people I spoke with the week I joined HFD was John Taylor. He joined Zenith’s public relations team in 1981 and when LG Electronics bought the company, he eventually became its SVP of public affairs and communications.

John was a straight-shooter back then, as he is now, aware of deadlines and the stress of reporters trying to get a story and report it accurately – perhaps because he started as a newspaper reporter. John also has never over-hyped his company’s products to journalists for a short-term gain and has always been willing to share his industry knowledge.

So, it was appropriate that a couple of days after the Hall of Fame dinner, John received the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award from its Consumer Technology Division for a career of great work for his company and the industry. It was an unusual situation for John, since he usually works behind the scenes except for appearances at company press conferences.

John was an integral part of the introduction of HDTV in the U.S., receiving the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers’ Industry Leadership Award for his work. Over the years John has volunteered his time working on various CTA Boards and Divisions, in addition to roles on the ATSC, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, The Media Institute and the Library of American Broadcasting boards.

Oh, and during his day job, he helped make LG Electronics a top U.S. brand name.

These three men show how you can be successful in your careers and make a difference in the world. I’m very pleased they have received the recognition they richly deserve.

Happy Holidays to all and I’ll see you in Vegas during CES.